Letters to the Editor April 11, 2009

I just want it to be known that we miss Glen’s Bakery. We love the quiet relaxation it gave us.

We were tickled to have the bakery for Easter. Ray had the most awesome baked items.

We want Ray to open back up for further enjoyment. We all love you, Ray, so please come back.

Mary Thiessen

Crescent City

Number of children with autism is growing ‘out of control’

I worked with an organization for five years that was responsible in part for some autistic children. I have just read that the number of children with autism is growing “out of control” — now one child in 150 is born with autism. Twenty-five years ago it was one in 10,000 — that news is startling and tragic.

Parents looking forward to the birth of a child, usually with enthusiasm and pleasure, find their beloved child emotionally unresponsive, and from there the pain never seems to end. What has gone wrong? Was this my fault?

Parents often feel guilty, though autism blames no one. Autism is a disease of unknown origin, and the growing number with the illness clearly suggests that parents have no fault.

But there is fault.

Those who have autism often receive insufficient support. It’s simply another medical problem without a major benefactor.

There is help, but not enough, and while somewhere there is a cause, there is not enough seeking a cure.

Some doctors today believe that many vaccinations required of children (often 15 or more) must have a role in the problem — 15 or more is a lot of infusions for a small body to manage.

We have chlorine in our water, and drugs often created for adults — now for kids —drug companies want children taking flu shots! Profit over compassion.

The historic family diet of the autistic child could be a problem. So many today eat poorly, mother, father, all children, each eating poorly?

Every child is different and the illness of one child certainly doesn’t tell the whole family’s story. There must be a key, a clue somewhere.

With today’s finances, it is a poor time to initiate an expensive search for new knowledge, but at the rate of new autistic children we must do more.

Do we need that new satellite?

An autistic child may be identified by his or her determined unwillingness to look others directly in the eye — instead look at lips or mouth. This is regarded as a possible indication of autism, why? What has happened to the intellect?

If you can give a parent with an autistic child a relief break, it will certainly be appreciated — these are 24-hour full-time parents.